‘It is absolutely disgusting’: Mechanic exposes the real reason you should never wait 7,500 miles between oil changes for Kias or Hyundais

A mechanic is offering Kia and Hyundia owners a different perspective on how frequently they should get their oil changed.

"This is why you don't do oil changes every 7,500 miles on a Kia or a Hyundai," @kndautomotive247 tells TikTok viewers, showing off the mess he pulled from the valve covers of a Kia.

Even if you don't know much about cars, it's not a pleasant sight. But according to @kndautomotive247, it's a "common" sight for Kia owners who follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding oil change intervals. 

"And there's still a ridiculous amount of sludge in there. I'm going to have to soak these in a degreaser bath for days in order to get all this stuff out of here," he adds. "And even then, it's still not going to be perfect."

How often should you get an oil change for your car?

Oil changes are a routine part of car maintenance, helping to ensure the moving parts of your engine are running smoothly. How frequently you should get your oil changed depends on the vehicle. 

According to AAA, older cars often have recommendations based on mileage, whereas newer ones are more likely to have smart systems that recognize when an oil change is needed and let you know.

The general recommendation used to be to get an oil change for every 3,000 miles driven. Now, 5,000 to 7,500 is more common. But if your car uses synthetic oil, the recommendation may be more along the lines of every 10,000 to 15,000 miles, or once every 6-12 months.

But @kndautomotive247 is specifically claiming that the oil change recommendations, at least for vehicles made by Kia or Hyundai, aren't good enough.

"This is the effects of following the manufacturer's spec oil changes," he says. "I'm sure it doesn't help that it burns oil as well, so all this oil is just burnt, caked-up oil."

What he's referring to is a concern Kia and Hyundai owners have expressed that the cars burn up oil too rapidly, which can lead to premature engine failure. The issue is widespread enough that it led to the companies settling a $760 million class action lawsuit in 2023.

"It's not that something happened to my car. It's a widespread issue that affects a lot of cars," Zhenya Rozinsky told NBC LA last November. The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe he purchased for his son had run out of oil after just 2,000 miles—and led to the engine needing to be replaced.

Viewers debate oil change intervals

@kndautomotive247's video sparked a debate in the comment section as to whether changing the oil more frequently than the manufacturer suggests is really the solution to whatever happened here.

"I've done 10k oil changes on all my vehicles forever," wrote one commenter. "Had to change a valve cover gasket on my C230 once at over 300000 miles. Looked like a new engine inside. Mobile 1 is what I use."

"Super cheap gas and super cheap oil changes the persons fault not the car," another theorized, while a further user suggested, "that's not from a 7500 mile interval. That's a 30000 mile interval."

But according to @kndautomotive247, this particular car's history showed that oil changes took place at regular intervals, roughly every 10,000 miles. It's hard to say for sure whether that falls in line with Kia's recommendation for the specific vehicle. But Kia dealerships generally suggest somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles as the tipping point for needing an oil change.

@kndautomotive247 Why 10k Oil Changes Are a Bad Idea #fail #dirty #mechanic #support #kia ♬ original sound - KndAutomotive24/7

And if all that is accurate, every 10,000 miles didn't seem to do the trick in this particular instance.

"When a vehicle burns oil and you don't have enough lubrication then this stuff happens," @kndautomotive247 explained. "it's cheaper to do extra oil changes than get a [new] engine."

"Everyone defends manufacturers saying 10k until it happens to them," another viewer pointed out. "Change your oil every 3-5k. Full synthetic. No exceptions."

The Daily Dot has reached out to @kndautomotive247 via TikTok comment and Kia via email.

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The post ‘It is absolutely disgusting’: Mechanic exposes the real reason you should never wait 7,500 miles between oil changes for Kias or Hyundais appeared first on The Daily Dot.